Focus on Faith

This is the message of the first reading and holy Gospel for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. The timing of this proclamation is not accidental. It comes one week before the feast of Christ the King, and the subsequent start of Advent one week later.

Jesus is the greatest of all marriage counselors. His advice is simple and straightforward: “Love one another as I love you” (Jn 15:12). His example reveals the high road and the preferred choices for couples as they make the journey of married life together.

What brings people into the Church? What drives a person who is not Catholic to convert to Catholicism? I doubt it’s the result of a convincing argument. What brings someone who is Catholic but has stopped practicing the faith back to the Church? This last question, I can answer partially from my own experience.

Q) I don’t like going to Mass. I had to go when I was a kid, and I never got the point. But I also realize that it could just be me; I could be the one missing something. What can I do to get more out of Mass?

The theme of the readings for Oct. 16 is persistent prayer.

Marriage is for life. When God created the world, God’s plan for marriage was that the husband and wife “become one body,” or sometimes translated, “one flesh” (Gn 2:24b). Jesus further explained, “What God has joined together, no human being must separate” (Mt 19:6; Mk 10:9).

Wise people know that before making judgments, it’s important to gather the facts. The same goes for growing in wisdom of the Scriptures. Knowing the context before and after a particular section helps enlighten the verses being studied, gaining for us insights that we can apply to our lives.

Q) I am hoping to be cremated when I die. I would also like my family to bring my ashes up to the Boundary Waters and scatter them there, since it is where I feel closest to God. Is that OK?